


Of This Much I Am Certain

by orphan_account



Category: Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-01
Updated: 2013-06-01
Packaged: 2017-12-13 14:32:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/825386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn was good at many things: singing, drawing, getting his hair to stay perfect for ten hours straight. He was not, however, good at socializing; particularly with the ladies. So when the new girl sat next to him in AP US History class one fall day, his eyes got wide and his mouth went dry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of This Much I Am Certain

Zayn was good at many things: singing, drawing, getting his hair to stay perfect for ten hours straight. He was not, however, good at socializing; particularly with the ladies. So when the new girl sat next to him in AP US History class one fall day, his eyes got wide and his mouth went dry.

Perrie was confident, because she was gorgeous and she knew it. Petite and bleached blonde, she had luscious lips that elicited dreams for boys and jealousy from girls. She could have anyone she wanted, and she turned her attention to the poor deer caught in the headlights. 

She sat down next to him and smiled warmly. The teacher began the class and Perrie pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag. Zayn noted her turquoise nail polish matched her gigantic pink and turquoise earrings. She leaned over to him. “I don’t have a book yet.” She whispered. “Can I look off yours for now?”

He blinked out of his trance, took a deep breath, and nodded. “Su-sure. Sure. Yeah.” He moved it to the middle of the table. “Here.”

Her smile turned into a smirk when she glanced at the dumbstruck boy. “You may want to look at the board. I think that stuff will be on the test. “

*****  
Zayn dropped down into the lunch table chair and let out a long sigh. “I’m a fucking asshole.” He looked at his friends for positive affirmations.

Niall, already immersed into a meatball sub, nodded his head. “You are. It’s a well-documented fact.” He swallowed and took a handful of chips. “Prolly since third grade.”

Zayn smacked his head repeatedly on the table. “What did I do to deserve this? Why can’t I just talk to that new chick?”

Liam’s eyes got wide. “You mean that blonde girl? With the big earrings?” Even in a school of 1200, Perrie stood out.

“She sat next to me in second period and I made a complete asshole of myself. She probably thinks I’m special ed or something.”

“Don’t worry about it. I saw her in the hallway up against a locker with Harry in front of her. By the end of the day, she won’t even be available for you to drool over.” Niall wasn’t one for compassion.

Zayn groaned. If Perrie was the alpha female, Harry was the ultimate alpha male. Charming and welcoming, his sense of entitlement was easily hidden by his bright smile and deep dimples. Zayn and Harry may have had all the same interests and the same social circle, but they somehow never managed to shotgun beers together at a party on a Friday night.

Liam was much more sympathetic and looked at Zayn with kind brown eyes. “That means nothing. She seems really nice; you should try to talk to her tomorrow. Ask her questions about herself!”

“Whatever. If fucking Harry Styles, like, if he…whatever.” Zayn reached over and snatched Niall’s chips. “I have the book and she doesn’t and neither does he so I win.”

*****  
Zayn set the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, as far from Niall as he could. “Are you going to that party tomorrow night?” He nearly fell off the couch as Niall lunged for the bowl.

“Where’sat? Depends if we win or not, I guess.” The only thing Niall loved more than food was soccer; which was a good thing, seeing as a soccer scholarship was the only way he would get into any colleges. His grades were lackluster and he kept saying senior year was when it all mattered. His junior year would be a cake walk. He would make sure of that.

“At Leigh-Anne’s. Her mom’s on some cruise or something.” Zayn knew that would pique the blonde boy’s interest. Niall had had a crush on Leigh-Anne since freshmen year but denied it steadfastly to anyone who mentioned it.

Indeed, Niall turned his attention away from the popcorn and looked at his friend. “Maybe. Yeah, we’ll see. You coming to the game, man?”

“Yeah, Li and I will probably go.” It was for the conference championship; of course he would be there.

“Zayn! It’s for the conference championship! You have to be there!” Niall was laid out on the couch, flapping his arms dramatically.

“Well, in that case…I think I have to wash my hair.”

*****  
“Champiiiiiiooooooooons!” Niall ran through the house with his shirt around his neck, arms in the air, dropping to his knees in his best Brandi Chastain impression. He heard someone groan in the corner. Zayn was standing there, red Solo in his hand, best scowl on his face. “If you puke in my car, dude, you’re dead.”

“What makes you think I’m going home tonight?” He looked in the direction of Leigh-Anne and gave Zayn his most charming smile.

Zayn clapped his clearly inebriated and delusional friend on the back. “Good luck with that, Nialler. Wrap it up.” He laughed as he walked around, his friend yelling, “No glove no love, baby!”

He walked around the first floor the best to his ability. He estimated 60 people were in the house or spilled into the backyard. He imagined a few had wandered upstairs to the bedroom. He then realized he hadn’t seen Perrie all night…or Harry, for that matter.

He shook his head trying to rid his mind of those thoughts when he heard soft piano sounds coming from a deserted room on the other end of the house. He walked to the room and saw Perrie sitting at the piano playing a song that sounded oddly familiar.

“Is that Heart?” Zayn’s eyes grew wide in horror when her head shot up and he realized he had indeed asked that aloud.

She smiled and nodded. “I learned ‘Stranded’ a couple years ago. I impress all the boys with it.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Zayn approached the piano and learned against it. Sitting seemed too forward right now; he wasn’t sure he could smoothly transition for standing to sitting, anyway. “How long have you been playing?”

“Ten years. Lessons, at least. I had mastered chopsticks long before that.”

Zayn let out a choked laugh and tried to cover with a cough. Perrie cocked her head and smirked. “You sure are a strange one, Malik.”

He felt his face burning. “I save my suave behavior for parties. Drunk girls really respond well.” What the fuck was that?

Perrie stared and motioned to the empty piano top. “I’m not drinking.” She started laughing and turned her attention back to the piano. “So strange.”

This was not going well at all. Zayn sat next to her on the bench. “You don’t drink at all or just not tonight?”

“Not at all. I did once, though. It didn’t end well and now I just like to observe everyone else.”

“Yeah, I really shouldn’t drink so much. Someone has to make sure Niall gets home.”

“The blonde kid running around like an idiot? Nuh-uh, he’s not going anywhere. Leigh-Anne has been stalking him all night. She…I don’t know.” Perrie hid her face in her hands and started laughing. “I don’t know how she likes him. Look at him!” They looked into the kitchen where Niall just finished a keg stand and was ferociously beating his chest and bellowing.

“He’s been my best friend since kindergarten. And he’s been swerving on Leigh-Anne since freshmen year.”

Perrie nodded, seemingly unimpressed. Zayn bit his lip, trying to work up the nerve to ask what he had been wanting to ask since she sat next to in class. “So…I was wondering…”

Just then, Harry bounded into the room. “Peri-peri sauce!” He walked up behind her and threw his strong arms around her neck. She squealed and squirmed under his grasp. “Leggo, Styles!”

Zayn got up from the piano bench. “Hey, Harry.”

Harry stared at Zayn, clearly attempting to remember his name. “Malik. Yo.” He turned his attention back to Perrie. “Whatareyoudoing?” He whispered in her ear and nuzzled his nose into her neck and Zayn suddenly felt like he should be absolutely anywhere but there. And that’s where he would go.

He walked into the utility room to raid the refrigerator. He found Niall on the standalone freezer. His head was lobbing back and forth and it took him a minute to register there was a head between his legs that had curly black hair similar to Leigh-Anne’s. Zayn laughed and shook his head. He suppressed his urge to yell at his friend and walked outside. It was cold and his flannel shirt and thin leather jacket weren’t helping much. He fished around his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter.

“You kind of look like James Dean a little. Not so much the hair but the leather and the smoking. It’s kind of badass.”

He turned around and saw Perrie standing behind him. Her ever-present smirk was matched with a raised eyebrow. He took a long drag and exhaled slowly. She shook her head and headed back towards the house.

“Are you with Styles?” She spun around. “Are you two hanging out?”

“Why? You jealous or something?”

“No.” He took a last drag and threw the butt on the ground, stubbing it out with his heel. “You’re new, and he’s…” He had no idea where he was going with that statement.

“Hot? Popular?” She shook her head. “He’s also incredibly intelligent and funny and can hold a conversation for longer than most guys. That’s why we’re hanging out.”

Zayn held his arms up in defense. “Alright. I’m not trying to start shit, I’m just saying…”

“You actually aren’t saying anything. If you have something to say, come out with it.” This conversation had taken a completely different tone than was intended.

Zayn walked over to her, ran his fingers through her curls. “All I’m saying is there are other dudes that could love you better.” His newfound confidence shocked them both and they stood there for a moment in silence.

Perrie broke out in a barking laugh. “That is the most ridiculous thing ever. Maybe I’m not looking for love.” She turned towards the house. “Do you have a way home? Your friend is…and you are in no condition to drive.”

He didn’t. But after her rebuking of his romantic gesture, he wasn’t about to accept a ride. “Yeah, I’ll find a ride.”

Her eyes softened. “Do you have younger sisters, Zayn?”

“Two. Why?”

“You sounded exactly like my older brother when you said that.”

*****  
Zayn woke up to a splitting headache and “Beauty and a Beat” blaring from his phone under his pillow. “Are you a new man?”

“DUDE!” Zayn pulled the phone away. Clearly the boy on the other end wasn’t as hungover as he. “She twisted on my dick. Fucking twisted on it!”

He buried his head into his pillow. “Glad someone got laid last night.”

Niall burst into Zayn’s room and sat atop his friend. “Perrie didn’t suck you off?”

“Nooooo.” Zayn buried his head into Niall’s neck. “Fucking Styles.”

“Awwww, man. She has the perfect mouth, too. Those big red lips…”

“Shut up. You got some, you can’t have mine too.”

Niall smiled wide. “We’re hanging out again tonight! Hey! Come over. That Jesy chick will be there. Maybe she’ll put out.”

Zayn shoved Niall off him and put on his best pout. “But I want Perrie.”

“And I want Leigh-Anne’s thighs wrapped around my head again. So let’s make this happen!”

*****  
Niall hit Zayn in the head with a pillow. “Dude. Jesy’s been over you all night. What the fuck?”

Zayn sighed. “I just. She’s.”

“Is it ‘cause she’s fat?” Niall looked understanding. “You are a weak man, she could crush you.”

“Don’t be a dick, man. She’s just not Perrie.”

Niall let out an exasperated groan. “Jesy. Are you friends with Perrie Edwards?”

Jesy and Leigh-Anne looked up from their hushed conversation on the other side of the room. “Yeah. She’s nice. Why?”

“Is she with Styles?” Niall was fed up with Zayn’s little game.

The girls looked at each other and then back at Niall. “Nooo.” Leigh-Anne answered hesitantly. “They aren’t, like, official.”

“Zayn wants to hit it. Think he has a chance?” The aforementioned boy buried his head in the couch cushions.

Jesy started laughing. “Of all the guys at school, your name has honestly never come up. Sorry, Malik.” She gave a little half-hearted shrug and turned back to the conversation that was much more important.

Zayn got up off the couch. “I’m tired and I have work in the morning. ‘Night.”

Niall followed him out to the car. “I’m gonna stay tonight, yeah?”

“Obviously. You have plans. I’m going to go home and…” He didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t have to. His friend squeezed his shoulder. “It’ll be fine, man. I’ll talk to Leigh-Anne. See if she has anything to say.”

Zayn lit a cigarette and got into his car. “Yeah, whatever. Thanks, bro. Call me tomorrow? I’m done around 2.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be awake. I may be too tired to function!” He thrusted his hips as he walked back into the house.

Zayn pulled out of the driveway and wondered how the hell he could be so unlucky in life.

*****  
“But he’s so unconfident and if Perrie liked him, it would get him out of this thing of his and maybe he…oooh fuck.”

Leigh-Anne detached her lips from him with a loud pop. “It’s sweet you’re worried about your friend and all, but I’m hearing too much Zayn and not enough moaning, yeah?” She casually stroked him as she stared up at him. “Perrie thinks Zayn’s a weirdo and Harry really likes her. He has to do something big to win her over.”

She licked from the base of his dick to the head before taking him back in her mouth, putting an end to the discussion.

“Yeah. Alright.” Niall really had no issue pushing Zayn out of his mind when Leigh-Anne started this humming that sent a vibration through his whole body, and holy fuck, he hoped he’d remember what she had said about Perrie.

*****  
That Monday in AP US History, Zayn took his seat and all but ignored Perrie. Niall had somehow remembered what Leigh-Anne had said and the two boys spent much of Sunday afternoon and evening planning Operation Sweep Her Off Her Feet and Onto Her Back (Niall was quite pleased with himself for thinking of the name).

The only problem was that the main part of Operation SHOHFAOHB (also Niall) was talking to her. Zayn had done such a stellar job on Friday, he was sure he could keep the trend going. He decided until he knew what to say and just how to say it, while sober nonetheless, he would simply ignore her.

Perrie put her finger an inch from his cheek and held it there. She watched him and waited for him to react. After a few seconds, she groaned and dropped her hand onto his notebook. “Zayn, why are you ignoring meeee?” She whispered loudly.

Zayn looked at her. “The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand is the reason WWI started.” He picked her hand up off his notebook and placed it on her side of the table, patting it twice.

His heart was racing, this was new for him. He never got female attention, let alone female attention that he actually wanted, and he was ignoring it. This wasn’t part of the plan. Was it? He couldn’t remember because all he could think of was how soft her hand was and how amazing she smelled.

Perrie pouted the rest of class, and as the bell rang, she grabbed Zayn’s arm and whispered in his ear, “I know what you’re doing. You are such an idiot.” She flashed a bright smile and all but skipped out of the classroom.

*****  
Zayn needed advice. Advice from someone who wasn’t half a moron. So it made sense he went to Liam about this problem. Liam was good at giving advice, he was good at comforting, and he was good at making Zayn feel like he wasn’t an idiot. But this time, Liam was good for nothing.

“You moved her hand from your notebook?! You physically picked it up and physically moved it?!” Zayn had no idea why this was so funny. He had no idea why Liam was clutching his sides and crying. He didn’t get it, and frankly, he was getting pissed.

“Niall said I was supposed to…and I…FUCK!” He rubbed his hands over his face. “What is my problem? Niall is getting some and he’s a gremlin. This is stupid.”

Liam tried to regain his composure. “Just talk to her. And don’t listen to Niall, for crying out loud!”

Zayn pouted. “I’m calling Louis.”

“That might be a good idea.”

*****  
“Just ask her if she’s trying out for the musical. What is it this year?” Louis was Zayn’s best friend who just had to be away at college during the most important time of Zayn’s life. Louis always had a way of calming him down by making him focus on things he was good at, as opposed to the things he failed miserably at. It was an easy list to go over.

“Grease. I’m trying for Danny.”

Zayn could almost see the tantrum Louis was throwing. “Grease?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Fuck that school. I suffered for four years and you get to reap the rewards of my hard work.”

“Hey, thanks for the encouragement and everything.”

“You know you have a lock on the part. You have the voice and you have the hair. Do you think Perrie will try out for Sandy?”

Zayn knew she played piano but had no idea if she sang. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

“Report back. Now let’s talk about Niall fucking Leigh-Anne. How did he pull that off?! How much you think he’s paying her?”

*****  
Zayn had the entire speech worked out in his head of what he would say to Perrie when she sat next to him that morning. But when she sat down, he had suddenly forgotten how to form words. Perrie’s favorite thing was getting him riled up and today was no different.

“Good morning, Zayn.” She said slowly, tauntingly. “How are you this beautiful day?”

“Are you trying out for the musical? It’s Grease. I’m trying for Danny, you should be Sandy because…you’re blonde.”

Perrie smiled what Zayn thought may have been the first genuine smile she had given him in a long time. Even her crooked front tooth was beautiful. She looked down at her skirt. “I thought about it, Ms. Carmichael thought I should. But if you think my hair makes me the best candidate for Sandy, then I will. When are auditions?”

“Friday at 4. They’re just formalities, really. Ms. Carmichael always has the cast set beforehand. She just has to do the auditions to keep from someone complaining.” Zayn could feel his cheeks pulling from his wide grin.  


“Alright. Then I’m there.”

*****  
It had been two months since Zayn was bestowed with the honor of portraying Danny Zuko. Being on stage performing was just about the only time he was confident and sure of himself. And Perrie took note of that. She found some excuse to ask him to run lines or practice the songs, even though they both knew everything front to back. She knew he needed a little extra encouragement, but she had started to get frustrated with his lack of progress. He couldn’t really be this dense, could he?

“You love this, don’t you?” She asked one night after rehearsals, the auditorium deserted. “Your whole face changes when you’re all Danny Zuko’d.”

“I like being on stage.” He shrugged. “It’s something I know I’m good at.”

“I bet you’re good at a lot of things, Malik.” She bumped his shoulder with hers.

He wanted to say more. He wanted to ask Perrie if she was going to the cast party at Jesy’s and if Harry would be going with her and if not, if they could go together. But no matter how much confidence the leather jacket and comb gave him, it reduced him to a bumbling twit when Perrie opened her mouth and sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You”. She could sing, he learned. Like an angel, in fact.

He shook his head. “I can draw and sing. That’s it. I’m a failure at everything else.”

“I don’t believe that. You should take that confidence you have onstage and use it in real life. You might get rewarded with something good.”

*****  
Zayn got home from rehearsals and debated calling Niall. Since he and Leigh-Anne had become inseparable, Zayn rarely saw him. Operation SHOHFAOHB was slowly coming along and he didn’t have anything to report. He never had anything to report, because he never did anything. He knew what Perrie was doing tonight, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say or do anything. He also knew if he didn’t do anything soon, she would end up with Harry, and he would have to sit next to her every day for the rest of semester knowing it was his own fault nothing happened.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the number. “Are you going with Styles to Jesy’s cast party? If not, you want to go with me?”

There was a pause on the other line. “Are you seriously practicing this shit on me?”

Zayn smiled; Louis got it. “Yes, I am. Does that sound good?”

“If she says no, then she’s a fool!”

*****  
The first performance was only an hour away, and Zayn was fairly certain he would vomit, pass out, and die. And he wasn’t sure if it was due to the fact that the auditorium was packed full, or if he knew he finally had to talk to Perrie. It was mayhem backstage, so he slipped out the back door for one last cigarette before the performance.

He leaned against the wall and lit his cigarette, inwardly laughing at just how much he probably looked like John Travolta in that moment. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and a mountain of blonde hair appeared, followed by its tiny owner. She was wringing her hands and had a terrified look on her face. “Zayn.” She whispered. “I don’t think I can do it. There are people in there. A lot of them.”

It was the first time Zayn had seen Perrie as anything but confident and sure of herself. He was taken aback by the sheer terror consuming her being. He exhaled and put the cigarette out against the brick wall. “You’ll be fine. I promise. You’re amazing and you’ll do amazing and everyone will fall in love with you.”

“I think that’s the most you’ve said to me the entire time I’ve known you.” She laughed, her face softening. “You can be smooth, Malik. Who knew?”

Zayn ran his thumb over her cheek. “It’s going to be alright.” He dipped his head and kissed her. “You’re going to be the best Sandy since 1978.”

Perrie blinked, shocked. She patted her hair and smiled wide. “Look who found his confidence!”

“Does this mean you’ll go with me to Jesy’s?” He grabbed her hand and headed back inside.

“I suppose you’ve left me no choice. But if I fall flat on my face tonight, I’m blaming it on you.”

“I can live with that.”


End file.
